Discouraged by raccoons and other varmints damaging the self-rising pools we provided our children when they were young, we needed a solution. The cycle was endless. Within days of erecting the water attraction, we’d discover claw pokes in the air ring which deflated the pool like a slow-leaking balloon. Duct tape patched most holes, if […]
Humor
An Anniversary Remembrance
This week I congratulated a young woman who told me she and her husband celebrated their fifth anniversary on the fourth of July. The milestone day stretched into the night while she tended to a toddler with a sick tummy. I assured her that future anniversaries would not all be sidetracked by young children and […]
Fowl State of Affairs
A year has passed since my husband and I decided we’d join the urban chicken trend. Our Golden Girls, as we refer to them, have feathered our lives with laughs and tabled our dinner conversation with antics. None of us is certain why we decided to embark on this path, but the cackle within the […]
View From Where I Sat
The first shriek came from the barber chair beside me. “Daylight Savings Time is this weekend?” A groan sounded from the corner. “It takes me longer each spring to adjust.” “Why can’t we skip it?” said a third. As the stylist cut my hair, I pondered the comments, and found myself in agreement. Losing an […]
Bidding A Colleague Goodbye
I met Loretta Miller Mehl at an Oregon Christian Writer’s conference one spring. When I read her name tag, I realized she was the grandmother of friends—her son and his wife homeschooled their children through the same channels I homeschooled mine. I said, “I know who you are!” She gave me a skeptical smile. When […]
Nothing Super Here
Girls team sports were not an option when I attended high school. My exposure to group athletics came from mandatory physical education classes. That suited me. I found basketball confusing, sometimes shooting the ball at the wrong basket. Softball proved tedious when I could do little more than swing—which wasn’t often. Track found me panting […]
When Writers Attract Fans
A writing friend, who recently signed a book contract and whose novel was published, received a note from a reader who not only loved the story, but also wanted to connect on social media. To my friend, the comment was like spreading fudge sauce and sprinkles on a banana split already loaded with ice […]
When Writers Create Dialogue
The woman sat up straight in the restaurant booth, head pressed against the cushioned back. As her companion approached, she lifted a pointer finger to her lips, and gestured for her friend to sit. On the table a notepad covered with scribbles rested beneath her palm, the pen in her hand busily writing notes. “Juicy […]
Reflections on Forty Years of Marriage
Last weekend my husband and I celebrated our fortieth anniversary. Unlike some who plan a monumental trip or a dream vacation, we considered several options and decided to take three days and travel to some of our favorite places on the Oregon coast—no agenda, no destination—just us and time. Everywhere we went, we were congratulated. […]
Forming A Child’s God Image
Never without a second pursuit to earn extra income, my father defined the word entrepreneur. A tool-and-die maker when his family moved from their big city home to the small mill town where he met my mother, Dad worked as a lumber grader while he and Mom reared their children. To supplement his earnings, Dad […]